The Anglican Church of Canada Logo

Thanksgiving Over the Water (All Saints’ Day/Sunday)

Thanksgiving Over the Water (All Saints’ Day/Sunday) is an authorized seasonal rite that offers a thanksgiving over the font for use on All Saints’ Day or All Saints’ Sunday. Drawing on the biblical themes of creation, liberation and new life in Christ, it invites the community to renew its baptismal identity with gratitude and hope.

This prayer may be used at the font during the gathering rites of the Holy Eucharist or other parish worship in the All Saints observance. It highlights baptism as the foundation of Christian life and connects the community’s prayer with the wider communion of saints.

Suggested uses

  • Opening worship on All Saints’ Day or All Saints’ Sunday
  • Baptismal renewal within parish liturgies
  • Seasonal worship planning for the paschal cycle
  • Study or reflection on Anglican baptismal theology

Key themes

  • Baptismal identity and renewal
  • Communion of saints
  • Thanksgiving for creation and new life
  • Seasonal liturgy for All Saints celebrations

Best suited for: clergy, liturgical planners, worship committees and parish communities preparing All Saints’ liturgies or baptismal renewals.

Acknowledging the land and God’s creation

This acknowledgement is crafted in light of the Principles of Reconciliation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as we seek to live faithfully in Christ and in right relationship with all. 

We give thanks to the Creator for this land, its waters, forests and all living beings, and for the abiding presence of Christ among us. From coast to coast to coast, these have been cared for and nurtured by First Nations, Inuit and Métis through countless generations. 

We honour the enduring relationship Indigenous Peoples have cultivated with these lands and waters, and the treaties and agreements that reflect these sacred bonds. We acknowledge the harms caused by colonial expansion, through frameworks like the Doctrine of Discovery and structures like the residential school system. We recognize our past failures as a Church, including disruption of connections to the land and suppression of Indigenous spiritualities. 

Guided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we confess our need for healing. We commit ourselves to seeking truth, pursuing reconciliation and nurturing harmony with all creation. We place our trust in Christ, through whom all things are reconciled to God. 

May God strengthen us to live faithfully as stewards of the Earth. Let us walk in love, justice and reconciliation, joining in God’s work to restore all creation.